Moss eager to join Murphy in Pawtucket

For the better part of the last four years, Brandon Moss and David Murphy have enjoyed a close association.

They were both drafted by the same Major League Baseball franchise (Boston), were both on the same minor league baseball team the last four years, and played in the same outfield together. The have also both been among the top prospects in the Red Sox organization and among the players protected on Boston’s 40-man roster the last two seasons.

In 2003, it was Lowell, Mass. In 2004, they were in Sarasota, Fla. Last year, it was Portland for the entire season. This year, it was Portland again until Murphy was promoted to Pawtucket May 26.

“He’s not just one of my best friends on the team, he’s one of my best friends period,” said the 6-foot, 181-pound Moss. “We still stay in touch and I check every day to see how he did. I just hope to get up there with him pretty soon.”

The 22-year-old Moss isn’t the least bit resentful about his buddy getting promoted ahead of him. He’s not only happy for Murphy, he’s also using it as a source of motivation.

“When he got sent up, I was very proud of him and it made me want to do even better to join him,” said the affable Sea Dogs right fielder, who is ranked as Boston’s 14th-best prospect by Baseball America.

His motivational method seems to be working very well. Moss was just named the Eastern League’s player of the week for June 25 after hitting .478 (11-for-23) with four doubles, a triple, a home run, five RBIs and seven runs scored.

Moss and Murphy got to know each other two years ago in Sarasota and have been close ever since.

“We’re both Christians, we share common interests and we just really got along from the start,” Moss said.

Moss wasn’t hitting as well – average-wise – this season as in past years. His career batting average over the previous four seasons is .290 and he was mired in a bit of a slump with his average in the .250’s just two weeks ago. That didn’t mean he wasn’t productive, as his RBI and run totals show.

The 2004 Red Sox Minor League Player of the year is leading the Portland Sea Dogs in home runs (eight), runs (36), and RBIs (46).

The Monroe, Ga., native is hitting .377 in the month of June (22 games) and has raised his average to .263. He’s reached base safely in 18 straight games and 24 of his last 30 games, during which time he’s hit .361 with 12 multiple-hit games.

“I’m mainly working on my consistency at the plate,” Moss explained. “I was hitting the ball well in April, but I let the fact that I was hitting it at people get to me. Now the hits are starting to fall.”

Moss, like most of his Portland teammates, was watching the scoreboard updates during last Wednesday’s Red Sox win over Washington with particular interest. Former Sea Dog teammate Jon Lester was on the mound for the Sox.

“I saw him strike out [Alfonso] Soriano the second time,” he said. “We love it. That’s why we go in there and turn the game on to see Lester or [Jonathan] Papelbon.

“It’s definitely a motivational thing and it makes you hungry because you see those guys doing it less than a year after they were playing right beside you.”

Historic horde

The Portland Sea Dogs recorded their first sellout of the 2006 season Thursday night and set a team attendance record in the process.

Thursday’s game drew 7,368 fans and was the first sellout since 393 seats were added to Hadlock Field in the offseason, making Hadlock the Eastern League’s fourth-largest ballpark. The team’s previous high attendance mark was 6,978 fans on May 20.

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600, or at aneff@bangordailynews.net